Monday, February 13, 2012

Living Holy Lives - L@W

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount provides us with magnificent teaching, including:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.

People love these words from Matthew 5. They put them on plaques and hang them up on their walls.

However, Jesus' sermon gets a little uncomfortable after that. He talks about the sin that holds us back. Jesus takes sin really seriously. He says some tough things: "You have heard it said you shall not murder. I say to you if you are nursing contempt for somebody in your heart, you are in trouble with God. ... You have heard it said you should not commit adultery. I say to you choose to cultivate lust in your heart, you re in trouble with God" (Matthew 5: 21-22; 27-28 NIV)

And if that's not striking enough, Jesus then says: "If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5: 29-30 NIV)

Have you ever seen tose words hanging on the wall?

In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is engaged in a fundamental disagreement with the prevailing view in His day about what makes someone "good" in God's eyes. It seems those people were on a "Behavioral Modification Plan".

Of course, you hear this sema kind of thing going on a lot in our day. When people think about holiness, they think about behavior modification. They think, "As long as I'm not engaged in forbidden behaviors, then I'm on the right track. "They see God as a severe guy with a checklist. We get so mechanical about this.

To be "holy"does not mean that I get real good at not doing things I really want to do. Developing lots of will power to override my desires is not holiness.

Holiness means that I become the kind of person who actually wants to do what is right and good and noble and beautiful and true. Jesus says, "What God wants to do is to change something inside of you so you become the kind of person who just naturally does good things with My help because I'm with you."

That's holiness.
Jesus' invites us to "Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot hear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you. You'll never be able to make that change in your heart. You'll never be able to do good stuff on your own unless you abide in Me. Be My student. Talk to Me. Ask for My help. Be My companion. Be My friend."

That's holiness.
There are two practices that we need to cultivate that naturally flow out of holiness. the first one is what I call Ädventures in Obedience." One os the things Jesus says is, "Is you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (John 14: 15 NASB). In other words: you'll actually try to do whatever I say. Jesus will be with us, and as we seek to do the thing that He tells us over time, He begins to rewire us.

Another this that happens when I try to obey by the power os my own will - the realization that it ins't in me. So I need to confess. We try to hide our sin. It's tempting to think, "If I don't get caught, it doesn't really matter." But it does matter. Because we live in a spiritual universe, my sin damages other people, it corrodes me soul, and it wounds God. It matters.

So followers of Jesus who seek to live this holy life commit themselves to the practice of confession. "Confess your sins one to another" (James 5: 16 NASB). Every time there's a great movement of the Spirit of God, one of the things that happen is that there is confession. People come out of hiding.

Because, as Jesus taught us, "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."


John Ortberg



Malu Jaegger
Sunday Class at  Capunga's Church

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Sole Desire


 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143. 10
To worship you Jesus is my sole desire for this very heart you have shaped for your pleasure with the purposed to lift your name higher. Here I surreder in pure adoration with offering of praise I am Your servant come to bring You glory as is fit for the work of Your hands keep my eyes fixed ever on Jesus' face let not the things of this world ever sway me I'll run 'til I finish the race.

love; your servant.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Thankful for 2010.

Happy New Year


He is exalted the King is exalted on High, I will praise You. He is exalted forever exalted and I will praise His name. He is the Lord forever His truth shall reign, heaven and earth rejoice in His holy name, He is exalted the King is exalted on high.

(Malu Jaegger, Marina Warkentien and Pedro Ewerton at our church in Christmas).

Monday, December 13, 2010

Choir Class Of 2010


The Baptist Seminary

November 30, at the Seminary's Chapel. The Choir Class singing Christmans songs to celebrate Jesus. Our Savior. 

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Oxigenio's Conference


We had a awesome time together worshiping our amazing God in His glory!!! I thank's my God for everything that He donne.
I S2 Jesus

Monday, September 13, 2010

Passion Conference SP 2010

There we go...

I saw a powerful devotion by the Passion movement of college students, this was sacred assembly - a time set apart to worship, fast and seek the Lord. Thousands of students gathered on the field that day to consecrate themselves and pursue the glory of God in the nations of this world. Large events aren't automatically the most profound, but this one TRULY WAS. There were moments of heightened celebration as we rejoiced in the saviour. There were times oh "selah", where we quieted our hearts and let the stillness remind us He is God. And there were moments of facedown worship. Here were a people consumed with the glory of God, and everything they saw of Him propelled them to their knees in an extended act of lowly worship. the movement called Passion lived up to its name that day. It was Passion accompanied by reverence; celebration accompanied by submisison.


[Matt Redman]

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Love Never Fails

Love is not proud Love does not boast Love after all Matters the most
Love does not run Love does not hide Love does not keep Locked inside
Love is the river that flows through Love never fails you
Love will sustain Love will provide Love will not cease At the end of time
Love will protect Love always hopes Love still believes when you don’t
Love is the arms that are holding you Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound When I can’t turn back around When the sky is falling down Nothing is greater than this Greater than this

Love is right here Love is alive Love is the way The truth the life Love is the river than flows through Love is the arms that are holding you Love is the place you will fly to Love never fails you


Brandon Heath